


That One Crush You Had

by squishywolff



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz, Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz (Two River Cast) RPF
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, M/M, expensive headphones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-06-24 07:11:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15625458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/squishywolff/pseuds/squishywolff
Summary: Just some Expensive Headphones-





	That One Crush You Had

Michael Mell has a small crush. The freckles on his face lit up like constellations on the rare occasions that he smiled. The slight lisp that hung onto the edge of his words when he spoke, though rarely. The soft, light brown hair that hung loosely in his face- Okay maybe it wasn’t just a small crush per se... Michael was straight up pining for this boy. His heart started thumping wildly every time he saw him in the hallway, his small figure barely noticeable among the crowds of other kids, and Michael’s heart sank because there was always a constant dark aura around the boy, he always seemed to look sad, occasional tears lingering at the edge of his pupils.

 

And yet he couldn’t bring himself to talk to him. He was a loser, sure. But a coward? Yeah, he was too. Pathetic.

 

—————————————————

 

“Get out of my way, fatass.” The short boy sneered, “Or you can stay in your locker the whole day, given that you can even fit in it, that is.” He gave a sly smirk before releasing his grip on the red fabric that was Michael’s hoodie, slamming him against the wall and striding away. Michael quietly put up his hood, watching the small figure growing distant. His dark brown eyes filled with tears and he kept his head down, looking away and swiping at his face with his sleeve. Unbeknownst to him at the far end of the corridor, the boy looked back at him with tears in his own eyes before wincing and looking away as yet more bright green scars appeared on his back.

 

—————————————————

 

“Jer, I just don’t get it...” Michael sniffled, burying his face in the dark blue fabric. “What happened to him? Why did he change so much? Did I do something wrong...?” He blurted, tears running down his face. “Jeremy, it hurts. It hurts so much...” the slightly shorter boy embraced his friend quietly, letting him sob into his shoulder. “Hey, why don’t we get you a slushie and we can go back t-to my place and play video games or just talk it out? How does t-that sound?” Jeremy gently wiped at his friend’s face with his cardigan sleeve. Michael took a shaky breath and nodded, still holding onto Jeremy as they snuck quietly out of the school gates.

 

Michael absentmindedly stirred at the bright red slush in his cup, his eyes still slightly red. “Why does Rich hate us? Is it because I’m gay?” He mumbled, staring at the rainbow patch on his left shoulder. “I don’t t-think so...” Jeremy replied, sipping on his own slushie. “That’s kind of a lame reason to bully someone, besides, we didn’t even do anything to him. I don’t see why he would pick on us besides t-the fact that we’re easy t-targets supposedly.” The taller boy twirled his straw in his mouth half-heartedly. “I guess you’re right... but maybe I should talk to him, you know? Ask why he’s doing...all this.” He gestured vaguely. Jeremy raised an eyebrow, “You sure about t-that, dude? I don’t want you to get hurt and be sent to the nurses’ office like last t-time. What makes you t-think he’ll want to t-talk?” Michael sighed and looked down at the concrete floor, “I always believe there’s some good in everyone, maybe he won’t be different. Maybe I can find out what happened for his sake and my sake.” He glanced at his best friend’s worried expression.

 

“I need an answer.”

 

—————————————————

 

“P-please...s-s-shut off...” The small boy begged, tearing at his brown hair, riddled with red. ‘As you wish, Richard. You’d better not do anything while I’m gone or else there’ll be...consequences.’ The glowing, translucent figure cracked a menacing smile before disappearing, leaving him in silence. Rich collapsed into himself, holding his head in his hands as the tears spilled onto the dirty bathroom floor. Getting that...thing was the worst mistake of his life, if he wasn’t suicidal enough before, he certainly was now. He doesn’t want to hurt anyone...he doesn’t...

 

Rich curled up into the furthest corner of the bathroom and cried quietly, hiding his face in his muscular arms, not even aware of the door opening slightly, a slightly familiar sight of someone in a red hood, his white headphones over his ears as he twirled carelessly with the cord. Michael’s brow creased in concern when he spotted the small boy at the corner and he slowly removed his headphones, leaving them hanging around his neck. “Are you alright there?” He called out gently, taking careful steps towards him. Rich jolted upwards, his face streaked with tears which he hurriedly tried to wipe away, to not much effect. “I-I’m fine...leave me alone.” he mumbled, turning his face away from the taller boy.

 

Michael’s eyes widened, he wasn’t expecting his crus-no, tormentor, to be there. But at the same time, his suppressed emotions were emerging and he felt his heart break for this boy, bully or not. He hesitantly kneeled down in front of Rich, “What’s wrong?” He asked in a soft tone, still holding back from touching him just yet. “It’th none of your-“ The small boy started, immediately clamping his hand over his mouth after his lisp escaped, even more tears running down his face in panic as he let out a choked whimper. Michael bit his lip worriedly, his heart pounding as he realised that Rich’s lisp was back, ”H-hey it’s okay, c-can I touch you?” He paused, his hand extended in front of the trembling figure. Rich paused and nodded hesitantly, still fighting back tears as he clawed at his arms, leaving red scratches behind. “Stop doing that, please,” Michael traced his finger over the smaller hand and held it in his own larger one, rubbing small circles into it. He took the opportunity to carefully remove the boy’s other hand from his arm, holding both of them together as he closed his warm palms over the cold fingers.

 

Rich looked up at the taller boy, “Why are you being s-so nice to m-me...? I literally treated y-you like garbage. I-I don’t deserve any of t-this...I don’t deserve y-your concern.” He sniffed and weakly attempted to pull his hands away. “What are you talking about? Of course you do, you’re clearly in pain right now, and I want to help. Simple as that.” Michael gave Rich a small smile, “Do you want a hug?” The smaller boy was slightly taken aback. A hug. He hadn’t got any of those in a long, long, time. “P-please,” he stuttered, and when he felt the warmth of Michael’s arms around him he burst into tears.

 

Rich sobbed uncontrollably into Michael’s chest, grasping at the red fabric to try to ground himself but only starting to sob even harder, gasping with every breath. “I-I-I’m-“ he managed to choke out, “I’m s-so s-sorry,” he whimpered, barely audible. “Hey, shhhh... It’s okay, it’s okay,” Michael rubbed the smaller boy’s back slowly, “You’re gonna be okay, yeah? Just breathe.” He said gently, moving to pull the boy closer to him. Rich let out a small sob at his words, crying even harder as he buried his face into Michael’s shoulder. “Hold on,” The taller boy released his grip on Rich slightly and pulled off his hoodie, draping it tightly over the trembling shoulders before gathering the small boy into his arms again.

 

Rich sniffled and nuzzled his face into the red fabric, it was soft and warm and smelled like fabric softener and the faint scent of weed. He was oddly comforted by it and his sobs gradually decreased, still curled up in Michael’s arms. “Are you feeling better?” The taller asked, gently brushing a few stray strands of red hair out of his face. Rich inhaled shakily and nodded slightly, clinging onto Michael like a small child.Michael smiled and started running his fingers through the soft spikes, smoothening them out.

 

‘Calibration in process. Starting system reboot.’

 

A few volts of electricity ran up his spine as he flinched and looked up at Michael with a panicked look in his eyes, unnatural flashes of blue and green dancing in his usually soft brown irises. “Fuck, fuck it’s back-“ he rambled, scars of bright green glowing brightly on his neck as the hoodie slid off his shoulders.

 

‘I made a mistake leaving you alone, Richard. You know I said there’ll be consequences for your actions.’ The dark figure loomed in the opposite corner, a twisted smile forming on its face.

 

“FUCK YOU! GO AWAY!” Rich screamed at seemingly nothing, his body shaking as he felt shocks running through every vein, yelping in pain at every one. The figure glitched slightly, underestimating the power of his resistance. It paused for a moment before continuing to shock him, the voltage increasing each time as he screamed in agony. His eyes flashed continuously between bright green and brown as he desperately tried to fight it off, it was a battle he was currently losing.

 

—————————————————

 

Michael watched in horror as he listened to Rich’s screams, stumbling backwards onto the floor. He tried grabbing at his arms, “Rich? What is happening? Are you alright?” Rich clawed at his head in his hands, shaking violently.

 

“I-“

 

**_ZAP_ **

 

“NEED-“

 

**_ZAP_ **

 

“MOUNTAIN-“

 

**_ZAP_ **

 

“DEW-“

 

**_ZAP_ **

 

“RED!”

 

He screeched, shoving Michael out of the way before he suddenly stopped convulsing and looked back at the terrified boy on the floor with menacing green eyes, electrocution lines crawling up his face. “Fuck off, fag.” he responded smoothly, his lisp completely gone. Michael shakily stood up, rummaging for the doorknob and crashing out of the bathroom. “That’s not Rich...” He panted, sweat and tears now running down his face. “Wait... Mountain Dew Red...?” He mumbled to himself, confused, and he immediately shot up and raced to his locker, fiddling haphazardly at the padlock. He yanked open the door and emptied the contents of his backpack on the floor, picking up the red bottle. It was almost empty, save for a few drops, but it was good enough. He had no idea what it was going to do but it was worth a shot...right?

 

Whatever that was inhabiting Rich’s body had decided that this was going to be permanent, his eyes glowing green as he marched confidently out of the bathroom. “Rich, I found something that might hel-“ Michael panted, running towards the smaller boy, only to be shoved aside. It’s like he can’t even see him. The taller boy furrowed his brows in hurt and confusion as more tears dripped from his eyes. If the thing inside Rich was determined, he was determined too. Taking a deep breath, he slowly uncapped the bottle and shoved it into Rich’s mouth, emptying the contents down his throat and crashing towards the floor at the piercing scream that echoed through the hallways before the smaller boy’s limp body hit the ground.

 

—————————————————

 

“Oh fuck!” Michael knelt and shook Rich a few times, getting no response. With tears running down his face he scooped up the boy and fled to the nurses’ office, crying and screaming hysterically for her to save him, all the while holding onto the small boy. Five minutes later and he was sitting on the floor with a lollipop in his mouth, surrounded by a bunch of tissues as the nurse examined Rich. “W-will he be o-okay...?” Michael mumbled quietly, still idly fiddling with the candy in his mouth as tears continued to run down his face. The nurse turned to him and smiled slightly, “Don’t worry dear, apart from a few very strange scars he should be awake in a few hours. Would you like to take him home to rest?” Michael blinked, “O-oh, okay, I can carry him to my car if that’s okay?” He shakily stood up and leaned over the unconscious boy, his heart breaking at the sight. After permission was granted he carefully carried Rich to his car and settled him in the backseat.

 

—————————————————

 

Michael didn’t know where Rich lived so he just drove him back to his own house and put him into his bed, settling down on the floor next to him as he absentmindedly fiddled with anything his hands could get hold of, looking up worriedly to check on the boy every once in a while. As he scrolled through Twitter, Rich suddenly jolted up from the bed, panting heavily and looking around his surroundings with a panicked look in his eyes as tears were forming fast in his light brown irises. Michael immediately rushed to his side, “Hey don’t worry, it’s just me, I brought you to my house because you passed out and I didn’t know where to go.” He smiled sheepishly as he tugged at the hem of his hoodie, getting worried when he saw the tears threatening to spill down Rich’s face. “Are you alright? Are you hurt? What’s wrong?” Rich tried to swallow his tears as the memories came flooding back, his thoughts strangely quiet without the awful voice at the back of his head. He unknowingly reached out towards Michael, yearning for his touch again. The taller boy smiled slightly and climbed up onto the bed, gathering Rich in his arms, “Come here sweetheart, it’s alright. You’re alright.” The small boy sniffled quietly, leaning against Michael’s chest as he tugged softly on his hoodie. The Filipino immediately took it off and gently pulled it on Rich, wrapping his arms around the boy for extra warmth. “Better?” He asked, running his fingers through the smaller boy’s now soft hair. Rich nodded and closed his eyes slightly, tired from it all. “Do you want something to eat? I’m not a very good cook but I’m sure I can make something...” Michael offered, though slightly doubtful. The best he could do was probably some eggs and pancakes or toast, other than that he’d mostly spend his time at the Ready-To-Eat section at 7-Eleven. The small boy stayed silent for a while, gathering his thoughts before nodding, “Yes, please.” He whispered, barely audible. Michael grinned and scooped Rich up into his arms, earning a small, terrified squeak in return as he clung to him tightly and they made their way into the kitchen.

 

Rich sat quietly at the table, curled up into himself as he snuggled into the depths of Michael’s hoodie. He still didn’t understand why the other boy was so nice to him, given how badly he’d treated him and all. He didn’t get it...

 

Meanwhile, Michael hummed softly as he cooked up some pancakes, taking extra care to try to not to burn any (he still did but he ate it instead) and placed the plate in front of Rich, sitting himself at the opposite end of the table as he tried not to look at the adorable boy in front of him too much, deciding to text Jeremy instead.

 

_-Sup dude_

 

_-what happened? Is everything ok?_

 

_-Yeah Rich passed out so I brought him to my house_

 

_-Richard Goranski?_

 

_-Yeah_

 

_-...what_

 

_-Lol I know dude I’ll explain later. He seems...different. Very different. It’s like freshmen year again. He’s sitting opposite me and I’m dying from how cute he is_

 

_-save me from your gay ass_

 

_-Aw come on Jer you love meee_

 

_-...bitch. Keep me updated k_

 

Michael snorted quietly at the messages, looking up when he heard the clinking of the plate against the table and almost dropping his phone in shock at sight of the empty plate. “I’m-did you-eat all that?” He stuttered, bewildered. “Y-Yeah, it was really good...” Rich trailed off, “I guess I haven’t had proper food in ages. I’m s-sorry.” Michael leaned back on his chair, “What? What does that even mean? It’s not like my cooking is that good or anything...” the smaller boy stayed silent for a while, “The only food I’ve been getting is either instant noodles or a protein bar.” The tanned boy was shocked, still looking at the empty plate and back at Rich, at all the freckles covering his face and- he blushed and looked away, trying to avoid eye contact. “W-well I’m glad y-you liked it a-and all...” he trailed off, pulling at the collar of his shirt awkwardly. Rich furrowed his brows a little, Michael was acting kinda strange, which wasn’t unusual but, something clicked in his mind when he remembered the fact that his squip demanded that he stay away from the taller boy and constantly torment him. Did Michael actually...like him...? Back? The flashbacks of freshman year came back to him as he sat in class, occasionally glancing at the boy in the red hoodie, admiring his features, his smile and his constantly positive attitude. He wanted to be like him, which was one of the reasons why he got the damn pill to begin with. “So... ya got a crush or anything?” He asked as nonchalantly as possible, sitting and waiting calmly for the response, though inside he was far from calm, his heart beating wildly.

 

“I uh-yeah-what,” Michael immediately got really flustered, his face slowly turning red. “B-but I doubt h-he likes me b-back so it doesn’t m-matter either w-way.” He managed to choke out, hiding his face in his arms. Rich leaned on the table, “Do I know t-this guy?” The taller boy’s eyes widened and he seemed at a loss for words, his eyes darting around the room, looking everywhere else but the boy in front of him. The smaller boy let out his first genuine smile in a while and moved to connect his lips with Michael’s before quickly pulling back. “H-holy fuck.” Michael gasped, his hand hovering near his face as he stared in disbelief. “Y-Yeah, I like you too. Surprise?” Rich stuck out a bit of his tongue and awkwardly wrapped his arms around himself, feeling the softness of the red hoodie. “Shit...you do?” Michael grinned, tears of joy about to run down his face as he leaned towards Rich. “Do you wanna be my boyfriend?” He asked hopefully, his eyes shining. The smaller boy perked up and a smile spread across his face. “Is that even a question?” He lisped, burying his blush in the hood. Michael threw his arms around Rich’s neck in happiness, hugging him tightly as he carried him bridal-style. “You don’t fucking know how long I’ve wanted this, holy shit.” Rich stuck out his tongue, “What a nerd.” Michael huffed exaggeratedly, “Well excuse me, dork.”

 

“Go away.”

 

“You know you loveeee me.”

 

“Hell yeah I do.”

 

“...I love you too.”

 

 

Michael grinned and touched their foreheads together, nuzzling into Rich and carrying him to the bed where they just lay in comfortable silence for a while until the memories and guilt gradually flooded back into the small boy. “...Michael?” Rich whispered, leaning against his boyfriend’s chest. “Hm? What is it?” came the response, soft and kind albeit a little worried. “I-I’m s-sorry, I haven’t t-thanked you for h-helping me and- and for being s-such an asshole to you. I h-honestly don’t d-deserve you and I-“ he rambled, trying to force out a small grin as his lips trembled and tears started to flow down his face. “F-fuck, I-I’m so sorry-“ he choked, violently swiping at his eyes to try and rid himself of the tears. “Aaahh- don’t cry, it’s okay, yeah? It’s all over and you’re gonna get better alright?” Michael sat up and gently pulled Rich into his lap, wiping away the glistening droplets with his thumb, “Shh honey, it’s okay. I’m fine, see. It’s okay, you’ll be okay.” The small boy sniffled and buried his face into Michael’s chest as his boyfriend wrapped his arms around him. “T-that doesn’t s-stop me f-from feeling bad...” he mumbled, clinging on to Michael tightly. The taller smiled slightly and kissed his forehead, “Sweetheart you don’t have anything to feel bad about,it’s in the past and therefore it doesn’t matter anymore, so don’t worry about it okay?” He said softly, moving to let Rich lean on his shoulder and using his shirt to wipe at his boyfriend’s face. Rich stayed silent at his words as tears escaped from his light brown eyes, he wanted to believe Michael but it’s kinda difficult to at the moment especially with all the guilt pouring inside him. He let out a choked whimper as his throat got more constricted and more tears poured down his face. “Alright, come here,” Michael hoisted Rich onto his lap and cradled him like a kid. “Would you like me to sing you something?” He asked, “I’m not very good but maybe it’ll make you feel better-“ the smaller boy sniffled and nodded slightly, and Michael cleared his throat.

 

_‘I'll wait, I'll wait_

_I love you like you've never felt the pain_

_I'll wait_

_I promise you don't have to be afraid_

_I'll wait_

_The love is here and here to stay_

_So lay your head on me.’_

 

Rich nuzzled into Michael’s shoulder, inhaling deeply as his body shook with sobs that he was trying to hold back. The taller boy stopped for a moment to run his fingers through the messy brown hair.

 

_‘Little do you know_

_I know you're hurting while I'm sound asleep_

_Little do you know_

_All my mistakes are slowly drowning me_

_Little do you know_

_I'm trying to make it better piece by piece_

_Little do you know I_

_I love you 'til the sun dies.’_

 

The small boy closed his eyes slightly just listening to Michael’s voice. It was actually really nice, he had vocal talent that’s for sure. He shifted his body a little and curled up into his boyfriend’s chest, sighing softly. Before long his tears dried and he passed out from exhaustion, still holding on to Michael. The Filipino moved carefully to switch off the lights and pull a blanket around Rich, kissing his forehead gently.

 

“I love you.”


End file.
